Improvement in windmills



dante-dA 'gitana H. WHEELER; OE WOODBINE, IOWA.

Letters Patent N 99,988, dated February 15, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN WINDMILLS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, H. NI. WHEELER, of Woodbine, in the county of Harrison, and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wind- Wheels; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionithereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings making part of this specification and to the letters ot' reference marked thereon, like letters indicating like part-s wherever they occur.

'lo enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

My invention relates `to wind-mills, and consists inconstructing the wheel with a series of curved buckets,

and mounting it in a frame surrounded with a series of' gates, arranged to be opened and closed ina novel manner, for regulating the admission of the wind.

In the drawings- Figure 1 isa side elevation, and

Figure 2 is a horizontal section through the center of ti". 1.

In constructing my device, I make a wheel, A, of two parallel rims or rings a, connected by arms to a centra-l shaft, C, and between these rings insert, at equal distances from each other, a series ot curved buckets, b, as shown in tig. 2.

This wheel I mountin a casing, B, made of four or more posts c, connected at top and bottom, and supporting two parallel rims, m, having an internal diameter a little larger than the diameter of the wheel A, and arranged so as to be at the same distance apart with the rims of the wheel A,as shown in figs. 1 and 2. Between the rims fm of the case B, I mount. a series of blinds or gates d, so as to turn freely on journals at the middle ot' each of their ends, and divide them into four sections, each section consisting ot' the gates between t-wo ofthe posts c, as shown in both figures.

To the center, or near it, of the. outer edge ot' each of the gates. of cach section, I connect a cord, e, and pass it through a hole in the post c, next in the rear of the' section, and on through a spiral spring, j, attached t0 the rear side of the post, and fasten it to the outer end of the spring in such a manner as t-o canse the spring Y to hold the gates open, and thus allow the wind, ti'orn whatever direction it may come, to pass through them and act upon the buckets ot the wheel.

The gates I so arrange as to incline toward the curved buckets ofthe wheel, and so that the wind will act directly agaiust'their curved surfaces.

In order to regulate the motion or speed of the wheel, I provide a metallic band or strap, g, and secure itat one end to one ot the posts c, and then pass it-around the outside ot' the gates, and conncct its opposite end, by meansota cord or chain, to a drum, D, secured to the frame, so that by turning the drum the strap may be tightened, and cause the-gates to close.

By this 4arrangement of the gates with the cords e and spiral springs` f, and the strap g connected to the drum D, it will be seen that the gates may be allowed to stand open at any desireddistance, and the motion v or speed of the wheel be regulated by regulating the admission of the wind. l

It', .d'esired, the drumv D may be provided with a ratchetand pawl, or any other suitable device for hold-4 ing it in any position; audit is obvious that instead Ot'a singlezcord for each section ot' gates, with a spiral spring one-ach post, a cord may be attached to all the gates, `and extend about all the sections, and be connected to a single spiral spring.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim is- 1. The case B, gates d, cords c, and springs f, in

Witnesses:

G. SMITH STANTON, WM. A. JONES. s 

